Balbir Singh Sodhi | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | July 6, 1949 |
| Died | September 15, 2001 (aged 52) Mesa, Arizona, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, franchisee, computer engineer/analyst (formerly) |
Balbir Singh Sodhi (July 6, 1949 – September 15, 2001),[1] a Sikh-American entrepreneur and franchisee in Mesa, Arizona, was murdered in a hate crime in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. This was the first of several cases across the United States that were reported to the police as supposed acts of retaliation for the attacks. Balbir Singh Sodhi, who had a beard and wore a turban in accordance with his Sikh faith, was mistakenly profiled as an Arab Muslim and murdered by 42-year-old Frank Silva Roque (July 8, 1959 – May 11, 2022),[2] a Boeing aircraft mechanic at a local repair facility who held a criminal record for an attempted robbery in California. Roque had reportedly told friends that he was "going to go out and shoot some towel-heads" the day of the attacks.[3] Roque was sentenced to death (commuted later to life imprisonment) for first degree murder. He died in prison on May 11, 2022.[4]
- ^ "Remembering Victims of Hate Crimes". Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved 2013-07-05.
- ^ "Death Row Inmate Profiles". azcorrections.gov. Archived from the original on January 13, 2009. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
- ^ Karr, Valarie (September 23, 2016). "His brother was murdered for wearing a turban after 9/11. 15 years later, he spoke to the killer". pri.org. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
- ^ Singh-Sodi, Rana (June 7, 2022). "The man who murdered my brother post-9/11 just died. This is why I mourn him". The Arizona Republic. Phoenix, Arizona: Gannett Company. Retrieved June 8, 2022.